Essay On Emily Grierson In Faulkner's A Rose For Emily

In Faulkner’s A Rose for Emily, the protagonist, Emily Grierson is a woman stuck in her ways. She is either unwilling, or possibly unable to change with the times. The inability to adapt and change with the times ends with tragic consequences.
Emily Grierson was once a woman of mean. Her status and estate are both in a state of decline that she will not acknowledge. “It was as if she demanded more than ever the recognition of her dignity as the last Grierson…” (Faulkner). Even though, by this point in the story, the townspeople are whispering “Poor Emily”. In her mind she is still a lady of status and everyone else is simply common (Faulkner) despite all evidence to the contrary. Her home, although once quite grand, had fallen into a state of disrepair. In a neighborhood that is moving along with the times her home remains “...lifting its stubborn and coquettish decay above the cotton wagons and the gasoline pumps-an eyesore among eyesores” (Faulkner). The house is like Emily, clinging to a past and a status that no longer exists. They are both stubborn; despite their current state the house will not fall and Emily will not accept reality. Even Emily’s hair is enlisted as a symbol of her inability to change; “...it grew grayer and

The passing of her father took more time and effort to resolve than is generally considered appropriate. When the townsfolk came to offer condolences, “She told them that her father was not dead. She did that for three days, with the ministers calling on her, and the doctors, trying to persuade her to let them dispose of the body. Just as they were about to resort to law and force, she broke down.”(Faulkner) Emily has created her world in a way she feels it ought to be. When confronted with something as important and life changing as her father's death, she simply pretends nothing has happened. Her inability to accept change blinds her to